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MIXING PRINTS used to be one of fashion’s most reliable “don’ts,” right up there with wearing white to a wedding and pairing knee socks with Birkenstocks. But this spring, clashing is positively encouraged.

Though it’s far from easy to get, say, striped shorts and a paisley top to peaceably coexist, designers are doing a lot of the work for us by incorporating wildly different prints into single pieces. Christened “pattern blocking,” it’s a trick designers like Duro Olowu and Mary Katrantzou have been experimenting with for a while, but it’s about to be everywhere: Dries van Noten, Chanel, Giambattista Valli, Lanvin, Gucci and Mother of Pearl all sent stylishly pattern-blocked looks down the runways. Recently, First Fashionista Malia Obama stepped out in Havana in a print-on-print floral dress by Asos, a suitable salute to the first day of spring.

Even so, how do you wear a pattern-blocked dress and not feel like you’re sporting a patchwork quilt—or the remnants of the sale rack at Anthropologie? “It can be overwhelming,” admitted Roopal Patel, fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue. “You’re drawing a lot of attention to yourself.” To tone down the flashy, clashy eclecticism, add a neutral to the mix, said Ms. Patel, whether it’s a denim jacket or crisp white shirt. Should you be a more-is-more sort inclined to ramp it up, ransack your wardrobe for an embellished handbag or a pair of print shoes.